Scottish Executive

Aggregates Tax

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the introduction of the aggregates tax in April 2002, a greater proportion of pre-cast concrete requirements will be met by imports from the Irish Republic and, if so, what impact this will have on Scotland’s roads and environment and whether it will take any action to support Scottish pre-cast concrete production.

Rhona Brankin: The aggregates tax is a reserved matter. Assessment of the impacts of the tax throughout the UK is a matter for HM Treasury. No separate assessment has been undertaken in Scotland. There are no plans to provide support for pre-cast concrete production in Scotland in connection with the aggregates tax.

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had or proposes to have with Ryanair regarding additional air links between Prestwick and destinations in Europe.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has had no discussions with Ryanair about additional air links between Prestwick and destinations in Europe. We have, however, had discussions with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and airport operators about the promotion of additional air links serving Scotland. We will continue to encourage the development of more commercial and cost effective air services from Scotland for the benefit of the travelling public and the Scottish economy.

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had or proposes to have with easyJet regarding a direct air link between Scotland and Northern Spain.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has had no discussions with easyJet about a direct air link between Scotland and Northern Spain. We have, however, had discussions with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and airport operators about the promotion of additional air links serving Scotland. We will continue to encourage the development of more commercial and cost effective air services from Scotland for the benefit of the travelling public and the Scottish economy.

Culture

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether private sponsorship and funding of the National Collections of Scotland increased in 1999-2000 as a result of the funding made available by its Education Department, as highlighted in note 25.5 of Scottish Executive Resource Accounts 1999-2000 , and, if so, by how much and whether it has any estimate of any increase in such sponsorship as a result of such funding in 2000-01.

Allan Wilson: The sums raised by the National Institutions of Scotland in private sponsorship and funding were:

  


 


1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



National Galleries of Scotland 
  

681,000 
  

1,192,000 
  

1,586,000 
  



National Museums of Scotland 
  

7,309,000* 
  

4,334,000* 
  

2,964,000* 
  



National Library of Scotland 
  

245,000 
  

222,000 
  

251,000 
  



Total 
  

8,235,000 
  

5,748,000 
  

4,801,000 
  



  * Includes fundraising for the Museum of Scotland, which opened in November 1998, amounting to £5.5 million, £1.9 million and £1.3 million.

Culture

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra visitors attended the National Collections of Scotland in 1999-2000 as a result of the funding made available by its Education Development, as highlighted in note 25.5 of Scottish Executive Resource Accounts 1999-2000 , and whether it has an estimate of any increase in visitors as a result of such funding in 2000-01.

Allan Wilson: The number of visitors to the National Institutions of Scotland were:

  


 


1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



National Galleries of Scotland 
  

876,519 
  

962,142 
  

1,049,652 
  



National Museums of Scotland 
  

630,596 
  

788,134 
  

1,015,494 
  



National Library of Scotland 
  

44,316 
  

66,162 
  

80,628 
  



Total 
  

1,551,431 
  

1,816,438 
  

2,145,714

Disability Discrimination Act

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when section 37 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will be brought into force.

Peter Peacock: It is anticipated that the Scottish Regulations equivalent to section 37 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will come into force in the autumn.

Disability Discrimination Act

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to consult on the regulations to implement section 37 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Peter Peacock: It is anticipated the equivalent Scottish regulations will go out to formal consultation by the end of June.

Football

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage football authorities to progress a bid to host the 2005 World Soccer Club Championships.

Allan Wilson: A decision on whether to bid is a matter for the Scottish Football Association which has already registered an interest in bidding with FIFA. We understand that bids have to be submitted by the end of May 2001. The Scottish Executive is keeping in close touch with the SFA about this and a possible bid for the 2008 European Nations Championship.

Justice

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hours of community service sentences were undertaken in the latest year for which figures are available.

Iain Gray: Information on the number of hours of community service undertaken is not collected centrally.

  Information on the average length of Community Service Orders made is given in table 9 of the statistical bulletin Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics, 1999-2000, published by the Scottish Executive in November 2000 and is also available on the Scottish Executive website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00046-00.asp

Justice

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress the Lord Advocate is making regarding possible prosecutions consequent to the complaints against the Scottish Criminal Records Office by Ms Shirley McKie.

Neil Davidson QC: I refer to the letter the Lord Advocate sent to Mr Russell on 11 May. We will be in contact with him as soon as a decision has been reached by Crown Counsel.

Ministerial Meetings

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings each minister has had with MSPs from each party to discuss constituency issues and what percentage of the total number of such meetings which each minister has had each of these figures represents.

Mr Tom McCabe: Ministers have many meetings with MSPs on a range of subjects, including constituency matters. The number of meetings on such matters is dependent on the number of requests received in any given period, but it is not possible to provide information in the form requested.

NHS Funding

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to invest a greater share of the NHS budget in general practice in future years.

Susan Deacon: We are investing record levels of resources   in NHSScotland. Health spending is set to increase by more than £400 million each year from 2001-02 to 2003-04. By 2003-04 health spending is planned to be £6.7 billion. The Family Health Services elements on general medical, dental and ophthalmic services are demand led. Details of the indicative allocations for Family Health Services were given in the answer to question S1W-13513.

Nursery Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to initiate a national inquiry into the pay and conditions of nursery nurses with a view to producing a report and recommendations.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive recognises the crucial role that well qualified, highly motivated staff play in delivering quality early education and childcare services. The Executive is working hard to support skills development in the sector and improve the overall image of childcare as an attractive career for both men and women. Nursery nurses are a key group in the childcare workforce; and we are working to expand their opportunities for professional development.

  Last year we published Working With Children - the first comprehensive guide to qualifications and careers in the childcare sector. We also launched our Action Plan for the Training and Development of Workers in Early Education, Childcare and Playwork; and are supporting this with close to £4 million of investment in skills. The Action Plan will support workforce expansion and contribute to our commitment in Programme for Government to train 5,000 new childcare workers by 2002.

  The establishment of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council will also ensure that quality remains at the heart of our agenda for all care services.

  Last year we also set up the Early Education and Childcare Forum, through which selected professionals from across the early years sector provide an integrated source of advice on childcare and pre-school education to ministers. The forum, which I chair, is an important vehicle for highlighting key early years issues and contributing to future policy development.

  Together, the Social Services Council and the Early Education & Childcare Forum will be taking forward issues of consistency and tackling the complex issues developing at a local level as a result of recent expansion.

  The pay and conditions of nursery nurses, though, remain a matter for their employers – the local authorities and organisations in both the private and voluntary sectors. The Executive has no role in the negotiations and no plans to initiate a national inquiry.

Rail Network

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9959 by Sarah Boyack on 9 October 2000, whether a full business case for the Larkhall to Milngavie rail link has been received from Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority and, if so, what the current status is of the project.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14515 on 9 April 2001.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs were of the publication, including the design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and cost of launch, of Protecting Our Rights: A Human Rights Commission for Scotland? Consultation Document.

Mr Jim Wallace: The total cost of producing and distributing the document, of all the factors mentioned in the question was about £3,800.

Sheltered Housing

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail (a) the targets set for the ratio between the projected elderly population and available sheltered and very sheltered housing and any changes made to these targets, (b) the level of borrowing consent for sheltered and very sheltered housing per 1,000 elderly population and (c) the ratio between borrowing consent and local government funding for sheltered housing funding, in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01 and (iii) 2001-02, broken down by local authority.

Jackie Baillie: Guidance issued in 1991 by the then Scottish Office indicates that there should be 20 very sheltered and 46 sheltered dwellings per 1,000 people aged 65 or over within a local authority area. These guidelines are advisory, not mandatory, and should be tailored to suit local circumstances. Local authorities are not expected to meet them alone but together with other housing providers such as Scottish Homes and the housing association movement.

  Information is not available on the ratio between borrowing consent and local government funding for very sheltered and sheltered housing per 1,000 elderly population because borrowing consent allocations are not earmarked for specific purposes.

Special Educational Needs

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with (a) learning difficulties and (b) profound and complex needs aged (i) under five, (ii) five to 16 and (iii) over 16 there are in each local authority area.

Nicol Stephen: The information is not available in the form requested. The table, however, gives the number of pre-school children and primary and secondary pupils, with special educational needs, by local authority area. The School Census collects data on pupils with special educational needs. For this purpose, special educational needs is defined as learning difficulties. Records of Needs are opened for those whose special educational needs have been assessed as pronounced, specific or complex and which require continuing review.

  Information about post-school numbers of people with learning disabilities is not available. The Learning Disability Review Report, launched on 11 May 2000, estimated that there are around 120,000 children and adults with learning disabilities in Scotland.

  The report recommends that local authorities and health boards should jointly draw up "partnership in practice" (PiP) agreements by June 2001 which will serve as the strategic planning document for meeting the needs of people with learning disabilities. A key component of these first PiPs should set out how local authorities and health boards will set up and maintain local registers of adults and children with learning disabilities.

  


Number of pupils with Special Educational Needs & Records 
  of Needs, by Local Authority 
  



 


Pre-School 
  

Primary, Secondary & Special 
  



Local Authority 
  

Special Educational Needs 
  

Records of Needs 
  

Special Educational Needs 
  

Records of Needs 
  



Scotland 
  

2,779 
  

440 
  

38,185 
  

15,689 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

73 
  

9 
  

1,707 
  

755 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

146 
  

26 
  

2,072 
  

680 
  



Angus 
  

36 
  

6 
  

630 
  

270 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

84 
  

33 
  

732 
  

180 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

27 
  

* 
  

571 
  

181 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

65 
  

12 
  

1,605 
  

468 
  



Dundee City 
  

108 
  

17 
  

957 
  

560 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

70 
  

19 
  

905 
  

441 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

39 
  

* 
  

390 
  

170 
  



East Lothian 
  

33 
  

7 
  

270 
  

109 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

71 
  

18 
  

864 
  

213 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

162 
  

37 
  

3,521 
  

1,070 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

17 
  

* 
  

285 
  

116 
  



Falkirk 
  

68 
  

6 
  

1,198 
  

606 
  



Fife 
  

119 
  

6 
  

2,340 
  

641 
  



Glasgow City 
  

470 
  

50 
  

4,037 
  

2,379 
  



Highland 
  

117 
  

30 
  

2,087 
  

837 
  



Inverclyde 
  

62 
  

* 
  

788 
  

419 
  



Midlothian 
  

33 
  

10 
  

477 
  

170 
  



Moray 
  

46 
  

8 
  

811 
  

324 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

48 
  

* 
  

970 
  

465 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

165 
  

37 
  

1,809 
  

927 
  



Orkney Islands 
  

11 
  

* 
  

171 
  

43 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

74 
  

30 
  

877 
  

405 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

113 
  

0 
  

1,946 
  

892 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

67 
  

18 
  

908 
  

265 
  



Shetland Islands 
  

13 
  

* 
  

190 
  

82 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

78 
  

* 
  

834 
  

392 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

194 
  

9 
  

1,730 
  

1,013 
  



Stirling 
  

53 
  

6 
  

1,033 
  

208 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

59 
  

* 
  

424 
  

135 
  



West Lothian 
  

58 
  

17 
  

1,046 
  

273 
  



  Sources: SEED School Census & Pre-school Census, both September 1999.

  Figures in the table include both publicly-funded and independent schools.

  Notes:

  1. Primary and secondary schools provide aggregate figures - it is not possible to separate those pupils over 16 years old from the others.

  2. The pre-school census collects information about children in their pre-school and ante-pre-school years. Actual dates of birth are not recorded.

  3. Records of Needs are educational documents opened for children who have been assessed as having pronounced, specific or complex special educational needs which require continuing review. They should not be considered as medical assessments.

  4. The figures in the Special Educational Needs column include those pupils with a Record of Needs that are reported in the next column.

  5. In order to preserve confidentiality and in keeping with normal statistical practice, figures have been suppressed for cells with less than five pupils. These have been indicated by a *.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all disposals of land, riparian interests or buildings since vesting date made by each water authority until the most recent date for which information is available, giving the date of disposal, the hectarage of land involved and the sum realised by each and every such disposal.

Ross Finnie: This information is a matter for the water authorities and not held centrally.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much VAT has been paid and how much has been recovered by each water authority in each of the last five years.

Ross Finnie: Details of VAT paid and recovered by each of the water authorities over the past five years is as follows (figures are in pounds sterling):

  


West of Scotland Water 
  



 


Input 
  

Output 
  

Claimed 
  



2000-01 
  

41,698,649.20 
  

5,762,046.12 
  

35,936,603.08 
  



1999-2000 
  

40,043,194.50 
  

5,065,880.98 
  

34,977,313.52 
  



1998-99 
  

36,135,925.50 
  

5,252,633.75 
  

30,883,291.75 
  



1997-98 
  

25,222,582.99 
  

5,274,734.23 
  

19,947,848.76 
  



1996-97 
  

23,438,271.90 
  

5,184,733.59 
  

18,253,538.31 
  



 


166,538,624.09 
  

26,540,028.67 
  

139,998,595.42 
  



  


East of Scotland Water 
  



 


Input 
  

Output 
  

Claimed 
  



2000-01 
  

30,235,671.53 
  

6,565,152.54 
  

23,670,518.99 
  



1999-2000 
  

30,261,924.12 
  

6,760,417.25 
  

23,501,506.87 
  



1998-99 
  

23,933,266.11 
  

6,014,650.01 
  

17,918,616.10 
  



1997-98 
  

21,036,027.33 
  

5,189,766.57 
  

15,846,260.76 
  



1996-97 
  

17,409,458.75 
  

4,819,631.48 
  

12,589,827.27 
  



 


122,876,347.84 
  

29,349,617.85 
  

93,526,729.99 
  



  


North of Scotland Water 
  



 


Input 
  

Output 
  

Claimed 
  



2000-01 
  

28,518,898.53 
  

2,253,506.75 
  

26,265,391.78 
  



1999-2000 
  

19,373,000.44 
  

2,094,605.48 
  

17,278,394.96 
  



1998-99 
  

19,331,762.91 
  

2,158,103.88 
  

17,173,659.03 
  



1997-98 
  

13,870,184.88 
  

2,371,925.99 
  

11,498,258.89 
  



1996-97 
  

12,313,818.10 
  

1,906,108.41 
  

10,407,709.69 
  



 


93,407,664.86 
  

10,784,250.51 
  

82,623,414.35

Youth Crime

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the draft National Strategy and Framework arising from on the Youth Crime Review will be published.

Nicol Stephen: The draft national strategy on youth crime is still being developed and will now be circulated for consultation in the summer. Meantime, councils have been advised to work to the core objectives set out in the Advisory Group report.